EXHIBITOR Portable Modular Awards

Trade Show Blog

Every year since 2014, EXHIBITOR Magazine honors design excellence in portable, modular, and system exhibits with the Portable Modular Awards (PMAs).

And each year, we look forward to seeing which of our projects will be chosen, either as finalists or as winners for these prestigious honors. We have 5 Finalists up for awards, the second highest in the PMA program!

Best 10-by-10-Foot Exhibit – NuNaturals

Portable Modular Awards Finalist

As soon as we built this brilliant booth for the healthy sweetener brand NuNaturals, we knew it was a contender for a PMA award. With a large lightbox to pull customers in, seating that doubles as storage, custom lightweight details like the Sintra profile of a girl on a bike (NuNaturals icon), and the ability to expand to larger size booth spaces, it exemplifies how a modular design doesn’t have to be a cookie cutter design.

Best 10-by-10-Foot Exhibit – Verity

Portable Modular Award Finalist

To compliment Classic Exhibits Extrusion lightboxes, Verity Solutions’ added wood frames and achieved an upscale design that retains the benefits of a modular booth. Interchangeable graphics for each lightbox allow specific messaging for each show, and the cantilevered reception counter and privacy wall can be swapped out with a demo or a seated discussion lounge.

Best 10-by-10-Foot Exhibit – Ocean Infinity

Portable Modular Award Finalist

Ocean Infinity’s clean aesthetic attracts attention through its simplicity, and the PMA judges have been known to favor simply beautiful designs such as this. Backlit logo’s and glossy laminate do mix with reconfigurable panels!

Best Inline Exhibit – Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits

Eco-systems Sustainable Portable Modular Award Finalist

Eco-Systems is always raising the bar in modular exhibits. This year their own EXHIBITORLIVE booth caught the eye of the PMA judges with LED backlit graphics, a custom working waterfall tower, CNC canopy with a 3D logo header, reclaimed wood, and recycled aluminum components. Boxed water was a giveaway that doubled as an interesting design component in the booth.

Best Island Exhibit 600 to 1,000 square feet – Peraton 20×30

Portable Modular Award Finalist

The Peraton booth proves that custom details can be modular too! Notice the custom shaped hanging sign with 3D logo and backlighting. It makes a huge statement, but packs down very small. Also note the semiprivate conference space, the powder-coated white extrusions hold LED accent lighting – beautiful AND lightweight AND modular. No wonder the judges chose this as a top design.

In addition to being eligible for awards in their individual categories, these designs are also eligible for a biggie: THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD…determined by YOU!

There is a two-month window where each computer, smartphone, and tablet is allowed to register 1 vote per day. Last year we won this award, and we are looking for a repeat victory! It’s time to VOTE every day from now until EXHIBITORLIVE (end of Feb) on all your devices!

Vote at this link: https://www.exhibitoronline.com/awards/pma/peopleschoice-vote.asp

And remember, they move the images around each time the page is refreshed.

Happy Voting!!

Katina Rigall Zipay
Creative Director, Classic Exhibits Inc.
katina@classicexhibits.com

Filter by Category

Filter by Year

Recent Posts

Buying a Trade Show Exhibit? Ten “Must Ask” Questions

It’s common to express remorse after a big ticket purchase. Typically when the purchase is infrequent, such as a home, car, or expensive equipment. Buying a trade show exhibit is that type of purchase, especially an inline or island exhibit for a large trade show. .

Trade Show Rental — Mullets, Trapper Keepers, Pagers, and Rentals

Recently, what I thought would be a simple, straight-forward conversation left me scratching my head. I was meeting with exhibit industry colleagues, and the topic turned to rentals. Admittedly, rentals shouldn’t be puzzling. Rentals have exploded at a rate 3 to 4 times faster than exhibit purchases. What surprised me was the perception and the language used to define the exhibit rental landscape.

What is Your Trade Show Kryptonite?

We shouldn’t but we do. We hope hope hope that the next attendee who walks in our booth is Superman. Not Superman Superman, but the sales equivalent of Superman. Faster to sign a contract than a speeding bullet. More powerful than the VP of Purchasing.

How To Make Your Trade Show Backdrop Stand Out!

Many exhibitors assume a backdrop is a simple two-dimensional graphic along the backwall of an exhibit. But it can be so much more. A backdrop in a 10 x 10 or 10 x 20 booth space doesn’t have to be basic. Modern inline displays come in various shapes, heights, and configurations.

Is Your Trade Show Display an Oreo or a Fig Newton?

As an adult I can rate just about everything on a cookie scale. For brevity, I’ll limit this article to Oreos, Fig Newtons, and Nilla Wafers, but be assured that the “science” behind my methodology includes Frosted Animal Cookies, Pepperidge Farms (as a collective group), Girl Scout Thin Mints, and Chips Ahoy.

Does Your Trade Show Exhibit Have To Be Clever?

That’s not to say your trade show exhibit shouldn’t be attractive. It should, but I would encourage you to focus on more practical matters the next time you design or rebrand your display. What do you need in the booth space to conduct business? Make it less about showmanship and more about conversations and information.

What Cats Can Teach Us About Trade Shows

We are a nation devoted to pets, whether they’re on the farm or in a purse. They learn from us, but we learn from them as well. The other day while watching Animal Planet with a cat in my lap, one on the sofa, and another puking upstairs ( it sounded like the world’s worst ventriloquist), I realized that we could learn a thing or two about trade show marketing from our feline companions.

Gravitee One Step — The World’s Easiest Modular Wall System

Gravitee — The World’s Easiest Modular Wall System. Unlike traditional modular wall systems, Gravitee has no loose connectors. The frames are constructed with durable engineered aluminum extrusion and the system uses time-tested patented technology.

Who is Our Biggest Trade Show Competitor?

Recently, I’ve been on the road, visiting Classic Distributors in the Midwest and South. We chat about industry trends, new products, and challenges in their market. Occasionally, they will ask me about competitors. That’s a topic, to be honest, that makes me uncomfortable.

3 Essential Trade Show Marketing Questions

These are questions every designer should ask their client before designing the ideal trade show display. If the client walks in just thinking about the nuts and bolts of the project, they may miss an informed conversation on why they are exhibiting in the first place and that can fundamentally affect the design of a booth. The Why can greatly impact the How in Exhibit Design.

What You Should Know about Exhibit Marketing

Exhibit marketing is all about marketing your products or services to buyers at expositions, conferences, and trade shows. A successful exhibit marketing program will be rewarded with increased revenues, referrals, and industry networking. The goal is to understand how exhibit marketing differs from the other types of marketing.

Managing Your Trade Show Budget

Trade shows are expensive, and some costs are often puzzling to exhibition newbies, but there are multiple ways to manage those expenses with a little planning and some assistance from an experienced trade show professional. Don’t be afraid to tap into that expertise.

Why Are Trade Shows Important for Business Growth and Branding

With the rise of online meetings and ecommerce, business experts have predicted the death of trade shows and live events for 40 years. Yet, the benefits of trade shows and events have never been more important for businesses. There were over 13,000 separate events in North America in 2025 alone.

Best & Biggest Convention Centers in the US for Trade Shows

What are the biggest and best convention centers in the United States? And does overall size and location matter when it comes to a convention center? Unless you’re a trade show nerd (like me), you’ve probably never wondered if the Las Vegas Convention Center is bigger than McCormick Place in Chicago. Or if the Orange County Convention Center is in FL or CA?